Department for Business and Trade

Companies: Registration

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government what free and fast track process is available for a householder to remove their address from the register at Companies House when that address has been used fraudulently by a company.

Lord Offord of Garvel: If a person finds that their address has been used by a company without their authorisation, they should contact Companies House providing details of the address and supporting evidence. There is no charge for applying to the Registrar of Companies to remove a person’s address from the register if it has been used without consent. Companies House does not offer a fast-track process.

Booker Group: Tesco

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Tesco-Booker merger on independent shopkeepers.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make an assessment of the impact of the Tesco-Booker merger on rural small businesses, such as post offices and village stores.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes recently introduced by Booker on independent retailers.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Investigations into mergers and anti-competitive practices are the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK’s independent competition regulator. I note that the CMA conducted an in-depth investigation into Tesco’s acquisition of Booker in 2017 and concluded that it did not raise competition concerns.

Iron and Steel: Port Talbot

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of theamount of steel that will be able to be produced from Port Talbot following its conversion to electric arc furnaces.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Tata Steel’s new Electric Arc Furnace will have a production capacity of approximately 3 million tonnes of crude steel per year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pensioners: Universal Credit

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the 'Move to Universal Credit' for pensioners in receipt of tax credits in England and Wales.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: No formal assessment has been made. We aim to ensure that pensioners in receipt of Tax Credits are migrated as smoothly as possible. At the point of migration, where applicable, transitional protection ensures individuals will not receive a lower Universal Credit (UC) or Pension Credit (PC) award than they received on Tax Credits.

Pensioners: Universal Credit

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide an update on the situation for pensioners in receipt of tax credits ending in 2025 in relation to the 'Move to Universal Credit'; and what steps they will take to ensure that they will not be financially disadvantaged.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Pension Age Tax Credit customers will be asked to move to either Universal Credit or Pension Credit depending on their circumstances. We are committed to ensuring that the transition to Universal Credit or Pension Credit works as smoothly as possible for all individuals. We will bring forward legislation which ensures that pensioner households who move to Universal Credit or Pension Credit will receive Transitional Protection where applicable.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Private Sector

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what clinical regulation measures are in place to ensure that care and treatments provided by private medical insurers arethe most appropriate for a specific patient.

Lord Markham: Private medical insurers do not provide care or treatment. However, they do purchase services from independent sector providers who are responsible for delivering healthcare. All providers of healthcare undertaking regulated activities, as defined in Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, are regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, while the health and care regulators are responsible for regulating health and care professionals.Regulations 9 and 12 of the 2014 regulations set out the importance of person-centred care, and safe care and treatment. These regulations have the intention of ensuring that people using a service have care or treatment that is personalised specifically for them, preventing people from receiving unsafe care and treatment, and thereby precluding avoidable harm or risk of harm.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to medical practitioners dispensing telemedicine abortion pharmaceuticals to patients who are more than ten weeks pregnant.

Lord Markham: Whilst no specific guidance has been issued, the 1967 Abortion Act is clear that treatment for termination of pregnancy at gestations over 10 weeks can only be performed in a National Health Service facility or a place approved for this purpose by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

HIV Infection: Plastic Surgery

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the risk of individuals contracting HIV from contaminated blood in unregulated cosmetic procedures.

Lord Markham: No assessment has been made of the risk of individuals contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from contaminated blood in unregulated cosmetic procedures. The Government is developing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. This will make it an offence for an individual to carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures without a licence, and will require people who offer procedures to be suitably trained and qualified, hold appropriate indemnity cover, and operate from premises which meet the scheme’s standards of hygiene, infection control, and cleanliness.Following a public consultation on the scope of the scheme in 2023, the Department is working closely with stakeholders to develop detailed proposals for the licensing scheme. The scheme will complement existing legislative safeguards for certain skin piercing activities and other treatments, such as ear piercing, tattooing, acupuncture, and electrolysis. The Local Government Act 2003 and Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 give local authorities the power to register practitioners and premises, and to make and enforce byelaws. Where adopted, these byelaws protect the public by setting standards for the cleanliness and hygiene of premises, practitioners, and equipment, thereby reducing the risk of the transmission of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C.

Social Media: Children

Lord Lebedev: To ask His Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with social media companies about protecting the mental health of under-16s, especially girls, using their platforms.

Lord Markham: The Department met with TikTok and Meta in December 2022 and January 2023, to discuss the mental health of children and young people, including girls who are under 16 years old.

Rare Diseases

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to have any discussions with theNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about continuing towork with the rare condition community to improve engagement and involvement in decision-making from small organisations.

Lord Markham: Department officials regularly meet with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues. Taking into account the advice and experience of people using services, as well as their carers or advocates, alongside that of health and social care professionals, commissioners, providers, and the public, is a central principle that guides the NICE’s work.The NICE is committed to working with people who use health and social care services, their families, carers, and the public, as well as with voluntary and community sector organisations, and all of the NICE’s guidance is developed using a process that takes into account the opinions and views of the people who will be affected by them, to ensure their needs and priorities are reflected. The NICE gathers these perspectives through the membership of its committees, and through public consultations at various stages of guidance development. Stakeholders also have an opportunity to comment on the potential impact of the NICE’s guidance on health inequalities.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to build on the proposals in the report of Sir Andrew Dilnot’s Commission on Funding of Care and Support, Fairer Care Funding, published in July 2011.

Lord Markham: As announced in the Autumn Statement 2022, we listened to the concerns of local government and made the decision to delay the rollout of charging reforms from October 2023 to October 2025. These reforms include the introduction of a cap on personal care costs, and a more generous adult social care means test. The Government has been considering what form the rollout of charging reform from October 2025 will take.

Department for Education

French Language: GCSE

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany pupils took French as a GCSE in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022 and (5) 2023.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany pupils took Russian as a (1) GCSE, or (2) A-level, in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.

Baroness Barran: The requested data can be found in the tables below.Total number of pupils entering GCSE French, German, and RussianCoverage: England (all schools)Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23  2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French 123,497124,942125,069124,707125,447German 41,54440,85937,11435,55233,570Russian 1,3531,6211,4481,9442,590(1) All schools include state-funded schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Alternative provision includes academy and free school alternative provision(2) Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once. In 2021/22, with the return of the exam series, first entry rules were reintroduced for discounting. Further information can be found in the secondary accountability guidance. For more on the discounting methodology read the Discounting and Early Entry Guidance(3) Total number of entries include pupils who were absent, whose results are pending and results which are ungraded or unclassified(4) Figures include attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years where discounting has been applied(5) In 2017, new reformed GCSEs (which use the 9-1 grade scale) were introduced into secondary school performance tables in a phased approach. Unreformed subjects continued to be graded using the A* to G system. From 2020 onwards all GCSEs are now reformed and use the 9-1 grading scale(6) For pupils at the end of KS4 in 2022/23, where pupils achieved qualifications in subjects between January 2020 and August 2021, we will not use results from these qualifications and these results are shown as covid impacted. The entries into the qualifications are still counted. Total number of pupils entering A level French, German, and RussianCoverage: EnglandAcademic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French7,3867,4087,3937,1516,308German2,7072,6512,4462,5212,119Russian693652596405621(1) Includes students triggered for inclusion in performance tables who completed A levels during 16-18 study, after discounting of exams. Includes pending awards(2) A change to the trigger rules was introduced in 2020/21 such that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study. The introduction caused a fall in cohort size, particular within the vocational and technical cohorts. A full impact analysis can be found in the methodology document (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results).

Children in Care: Education

Lord Laming: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the education of children in care.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and achieve positive outcomes. Every local authority must appoint a virtual school head (VSH), who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. All maintained schools and academies must appoint a designated teacher to act as a source of advice and expertise about the needs of the looked-after children on the school’s roll. Looked-after children also have top priority in school admissions and attract pupil premium plus funding of £2,570 per child, up to age 16. This is managed by the VSH, who works with the child’s education setting to deliver objectives in the child’s Personal Education Plan. In February 2023, the department announced the national rollout of £24 million of pupil premium plus style funding to looked-after children and care leavers at post-16 for the next two years, from 2023/24. This funding, which builds on an initial £8 million pilot that launched in October 2021, gives VHSs the financial levers to positively impact the educational outcomes of looked-after children and care leavers in post-16 education.

Education: Standards

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the proposedincrease in early years childcare provisioncould lead to a widening of the attainment gap.

Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. The most recent Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results in 2022/23 found 67.2% of children had a good level of development, which is an increase of around 2 percentage points compared to the previous year. Additionally, the percentage of disadvantaged children with a good level of development had increased by 2.5 percentage points and the gap with their peers had narrowed by at least 0.5 percentage points. The department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the childcare entitlements expansion, which will explore the effects of the expansion on children’s development. Results will be made available on GOV.UK in due course. This is in addition to the existing significant programme of monitoring that includes pulse surveys with early years providers, polling with parents and annual large-scale surveys of providers and parents. The department will also continue to use the existing body of evidence from studies such as the Study of Early Education and Development and Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education to inform its work.

German Language: GCSE

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils took German as a GCSE in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.

Baroness Barran: The requested data can be found in the tables below Total number of pupils entering GCSE French, German, and Russian  Coverage: England (all schools)  Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23  2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French 123,497124,942125,069124,707125,447German 41,54440,85937,11435,55233,570Russian 1,3531,6211,4481,9442,590 (1) All schools include state-funded schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Alternative provision includes academy and free school alternative provision(2) Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once. In 2021/22, with the return of the exam series, first entry rules were reintroduced for discounting. Further information can be found in the secondary accountability guidance. For more on the discounting methodology read the Discounting and Early Entry Guidance(3) Total number of entries include pupils who were absent, whose results are pending and results which are ungraded or unclassified(4) Figures include attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years where discounting has been applied(5) In 2017, new reformed GCSEs (which use the 9-1 grade scale) were introduced into secondary school performance tables in a phased approach. Unreformed subjects continued to be graded using the A* to G system. From 2020 onwards all GCSEs are now reformed and use the 9-1 grading scale.  (6) For pupils at the end of KS4 in 2022/23, where pupils achieved qualifications in subjects between January 2020 and August 2021, we will not use results from these qualifications and these results are shown as covid impacted. The entries into the qualifications are still counted.  Total number of pupils entering A level French, German, and Russian  Coverage: England  Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French7,3867,4087,3937,1516,308German2,7072,6512,4462,5212,119Russian693652596405621 (1) Includes students triggered for inclusion in performance tables who completed A levels during 16-18 study, after discounting of exams. Includes pending awards(2) A change to the trigger rules was introduced in 2020/21 such that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study. The introduction caused a fall in cohort size, particular within the vocational and technical cohorts. A full impact analysis can be found in the methodology document (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results).

Artificial Intelligence: Languages

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of emerging artificial intelligence capacities on the necessity for foreign language learning.

Baroness Barran: Studying a language can be extremely rewarding and exciting for children and young people. It can provide insight into other cultures and open the door to travel and employment opportunities. Whilst Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be useful in enhancing the experience of learning a language, and this should be explored further, it should not be seen as a replacement. The department wants to capitalise on the opportunities technology like AI presents for education, as well as addressing its risks and challenges. Responses to the call for evidence on generative AI in education highlighted the potential for this technology in generating language exercises and conversational prompts, for example. Language learning was one of the use cases tested as part of the department's Generative AI Hackathon project. The report of this project is due to be published shortly. The most important thing for a high-quality education is having a human expert teacher in the classroom. The emergence of this technology does not change that.

Relationships and Sex Education: Sex

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about the appropriateness of teaching materials indicating to children that someone can be (1) male, (2) female, (3) intersex, or (4) "another sex".

Baroness Barran: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education was concerned to hear reports of inappropriate materials being used in schools and that contested topics are being taught as fact. This is why the department brought forward the first review of the RSHE statutory guidance, including appointing an independent panel to provide expert advice on what is appropriate to be taught in RSHE and at what age. Details on this panel and their role can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/relationships-health-and-sex-education-independent-review. Transparency is also important, and parents should be able to see what their children are being taught. The Secretary of State has twice written to schools to remind them that copyright law does not prevent them sharing external resources with parents and to clarify that any contractual clause that prevents schools from sharing materials is void and unenforceable. The department will ensure that the updated guidance fully reflects this very clear position. The Secretary of State’s letters to schools about sharing curriculum resources with parents can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-state-letter-to-schools-about-sharing-curriculum-resources-with-parents. A draft of the amended guidance will be published for consultation as soon as possible.

Education: Standards

Lord Hampton: To ask His Majesty's Government, given the finding byAction for Children in its report, Above and Beyond: How teachers fill gaps in the system to keep children learning, that teachers are supporting 3.3 million children who face barriers to their education because of issues outside of school,what plans they have to make schoolsthe fourth statutory safeguarding partner.

Baroness Barran: The government recognises that education needs to play a greater role in local safeguarding arrangements. This reflects the part schools, colleges, early years and other education settings play in the lives of children and families, and their safeguarding responsibilities. In 2023, the department consulted on and strengthened its statutory guidance, titled ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, which clarified the roles and responsibilities of education settings, both strategically and operationally, in local safeguarding arrangements. As outlined in ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department is exploring how it can increase the role of education in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

Turing Scheme

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how many students applied to take part in the Turing Scheme in (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, (3) 2023–24 and (4) 2024–25.

Baroness Barran: Students cannot apply directly to the Turing Scheme. Education providers and other eligible organisations can apply to the scheme for funding towards the costs of their students’ international study and work placements. These organisations are responsible for planning placements on behalf of their students. This includes recruiting students and disbursing Turing Scheme funding to them.However, 21,353 pupils, learners, and students participated in international work and education placements in the 2021/22 academic year through the Turing Scheme. The scheme provided funding for 38,374 placements during the 2022/23 academic year, but the actual number of participants is not yet known. The department expects to publish data for the 2022/23 academic year this autumn.For the current academic year (2023/24) the Turing Scheme is providing funding for 41,175 pupils, learners and students across the UK. Final data will not be available until after the academic year ends on 31 August 2024 following the submission of providers’ final reports.No data is available for the 2024/25 academic year as applications from providers are currently being assessed. The department will inform providers about the outcome of their applications in June 2024 and will announce results publicly shortly thereafter.

Music: Education

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the opportunities for children to learn to play a musical instrumentwhile at school.

Baroness Barran: The government has a long standing commitment to ensure that high quality music education is not the preserve of the wealthy, but the entitlement of every single child, and that this is reflected in the government’s refreshed National plan for music education, which was published in 2022. This plan sets out the department’s strategy up to 2030 and its vision to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, as well as to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally. As part of the plan, schools are expected to teach music for at least one hour a week from Key Stages 1 to 3, to provide access to singing and instrument lessons and to offer a range of music experiences, such as music events and trips to professional concerts. The network of Music Hubs has a vital role to play in supporting schools to deliver this. Working together, schools and Music Hubs can ensure children have access to all the benefits of a wider musical education through instrumental lessons, loans and ensembles, as well as offering clear and affordable progression routes and continuing professional development to teachers around music. The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012, including the work they now do with around 90% of all schools. This is why the department has invested around £380 million of funding in Music Hubs between 2016 and 2021 to ensure all children, whatever their background, have access to a high quality music education. Since 2021, the department has continued to provide £79 million a year for Music Hubs, on average around 40% of their income, with the remaining funding coming mainly from parents and schools. Further to this, as part of the plan published in 2022, the government announced a £25 million capital fund for musical instruments, which will be distributed across all Music Hubs from September 2024. This will allow schools and Music Hubs to continue to work together to ensure more children and young people have access to musical instruments, as well as access to a high quality music education and to develop their musical interests and potential.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

AUKUS

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions theForeign Secretary has had with the Ministry of Defence regarding future expansion of Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign and Defence Secretaries regularly discuss AUKUS. For example, they did so during their joint visit to Australia in March ahead of the announcement on 8 April that AUKUS partners will undertake consultations in 2024 with others regarding engagement in individual Pillar II (advanced military capabilities) projects, including actively considering collaboration with Japan.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Ministers

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are taking to ensure transparency in relation to ministerial recusals.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Under the terms of the Ministerial Code, Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their ministerial position and their private interests, financial or otherwise.There is an established regime in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. Interests judged, by the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, to be relevant to a ministerial role are published in the List of Ministers' Interests, which is available on GOV.UK.As set out in the Ministerial Code, it is the personal responsibility of each Minister to decide whether and what action is needed to avoid a conflict or the perception of a conflict, taking account of advice received from their Permanent Secretary and the Independent Adviser on Ministers' interests.

Colombia: War Crimes

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Colombia about reparations for victims of sexual and gender-based violence during the armed conflict.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Colombia is a Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) and Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan focus country. Colombia is current chair of the UK-founded International Alliance on PSVI, a key forum for coordinating global action on conflict-related sexual violence. The UK contributed to the opening of a landmark case to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) from the armed conflict in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP), the authoritative transitional justice body providing reparations to SGBV victims. We continue to support this work, as well as assistance to victims and survivors seeking access to justice.

Vladimir Kara-Murza

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty's Government what information they hold on Vladimir Kara-Murza, held in prison in Russia, and the state of his health.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has consistently condemned the politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza and called for his release. The conditions in the Omsk penal colony are threatening Mr Kara-Murza's life and his health is deteriorating. He must be released on humanitarian grounds for urgent medical treatment.We continue to seek consular access to Mr Kara-Murza. Russia has repeatedly denied this, not recognising dual nationals as being in scope of our agreement on consular relations. Officials in London and Moscow continue to raise concerns for Mr Kara-Murza's health with the Russians. Mr Kara-Murza's family receive consular support.

Freedom of Information

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have takenin response to the issuing of practice recommendations to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office bythe Information Commissioner’s Office, following its assessment that the information request handling processes of that department "donot conform to parts 1, 4 and 5 of the section 45 Freedom of Information Code of Practice".

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO takes its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act very seriously and will continue to strive to answer Freedom of Information (FOI) requests within the required timescales.We welcome the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) Practice Recommendations and have agreed to publish a full response by the 31 May 2024 as requested. We are considering all of their recommendations and are constructing a detailed implementation plan to improve our timeliness.

Cabinet Office

Ministers: Conflict of Interests

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey will publish the guidance provided to Ministers on recusing themselves from decision making; and what plans they have, if any, to review that guidance.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: As set out in the Ministerial Code, there is an established regime in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. Under the terms of the Ministerial Code Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their ministerial position and their private interests, financial or otherwise. The Ministerial Code is the responsibility of the Prime Minister. There are no current plans to update the Ministerial interests’ provisions in the Code.Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code provides detail on the procedure ministers must follow regarding their private interests. In particular it states, “it is the personal responsibility of each Minister to decide whether and what action is needed to avoid a conflict or the perception of a conflict”.More information about the process by which ministerial interests are managed is available in the Annual Report of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests and the List of Ministers Interests. These are available on GOV.UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agricultural Products and Food: Import Controls

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that (1) border infrastructure is fully prepared, and (2) there are sufficient staff in place, to handle the increased controls on food and agricultural products starting from 30 April.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government has worked with port and airport operators, traders, Port Health Authorities and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to make sure we have the right infrastructure, systems and resources in place. This has culminated in recent months with an extensive period of operational testing. Collaborating with several ports, Port Health Authorities, APHA and traders, we have used these tests to identify and resolve any remaining operational issues. We are confident that Border Control Posts infrastructure has sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of checks expected under the Border Target Operating Model. We are confident our systems are robust, dynamic, and effective, and we are confident inspection authorities are appropriately staffed and trained.

Food: Import Controls

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the new border import controls being introduced on 30 April will impact food safety standards between the UK and EU; and if so, how.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) introduces proportionate controls that will protect the agri-food sector and public health. The implementation of controls on EU goods does not change the safety standards of imported food. It has reduced the risk of plant and animal pests and diseases reaching GB and potentially causing significant disruption to domestic production, as well as assuring the safety of all imported food. The UK’s agri-food exports depend on our reputation for high regulatory standards, and the BTOM will provide our export markets with assurance that we are taking appropriate steps to protect our biosecurity, so that our exports will not present an increased risk to our trade partners’ biosecurity.

Treasury

Debt Collection

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate identity tracing agencies in relation to the recovery of debt.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government wants to see fair treatment of individuals in problem debt, and there is a range of work underway across government and regulators to promote responsible practices for debt recovery. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates the collection of debt by lenders and certain debt collection agencies arising under credit agreements, consumer hire agreements and peer-to-peer loans. The FCA sets clear expectations for firms undertaking the collection of these debts, including the expectation for firms to establish the correct identity, where this is disputed. On 18 March 2024 the UK Regulators Network (UKRN), including the FCA, Ofgem, Ofwat and Ofcom, published joint guidance which sets out their expectations for firms’ debt collection practices across their respective sectors. This is to ensure that firms support customers in debt and that firms’ collection practices are not causing harm to customers.

Public Sector Debt

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce public sector debt from its current level of 98.3 per cent of GDP.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government is committed to sustainable public finances and reducing debt, while cutting taxes and boosting economic growth. This will involve managing public spending responsibly and increasing productivity through the Public Sector Productivity Programme, while maintaining high-quality public services. The government’s fiscal mandate is for Public Sector Net Debt excluding the Bank of England to fall as a percentage of GDP by the fifth year of the rolling forecast. In March, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed the government is on track to meet this rule, with debt falling from 93.2% (2027-28) to 92.9% (2028-29). Public sector net debt (“headline debt”) is also forecast to fall from 98.3% of GDP this year, to 94.3% in 2028-29.

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the extension of long-term fixed-rate mortgage options to borrowers.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, lenders in the UK already do offer this type of mortgage product, and those looking to take out a long-term fixed rate mortgage are encouraged to shop around and speak to a broker to find the best possible product for them.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Security

Lord Wasserman: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherHis Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have issued any guidance to Police and Crime Commissioners concerning the taxation of their home security.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs cannot comment on the guidance issued to taxpayers on individual cases, including to Police and Crime Commissioners on the taxation of their home security.

Small Businesses: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of HMRC's reported customer service issues on tax compliance among small businesses; and what steps they are taking to mitigate this impact.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Small businesses play a vital role in the UK economy. The majority want to meet their obligations and pay their fair share of tax, but many struggle to understand tax rules, lack confidence and find the process of complying burdensome. In response, HMRC is investing in approaches to help support including simplifying guidance whilst Making Tax Digital for VAT and data analytics have helped reduce errors. HMRC is also targeting investigations at those who bend or break the rules to help create a level playing field for the honest majority.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Digital Technology: Training

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of the population they estimate will be digitally literate by 2030.

Viscount Camrose: This Government has been clear that ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age is a key priority. The 2023 Consumer Digital Index found that 92% of UK adults have the ‘Essential Digital Skills for Life’.The National Curriculum subject of computing ensures that pupils become digitally literate so that they are able to use, express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology, at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world. Computing is compulsory in all Local Authority maintained schools across Key Stages 1 to 4.Media literacy is also included in the citizenship curriculum which is compulsory for all maintained secondary schools. Furthermore, under our ambitious Online Media Literacy Strategy, we have provided almost £2.5million in grant funding for projects designed to build the media literacy and critical thinking skills for users of all ages.The government has also introduced a digital skills entitlement in August 2020 for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to Level 1, free of charge. Such qualifications enable people to gain the skills needed to participate in modern life, access further study, and find and progress in work.

Broadband: Social Tariffs

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for reviewing the social tariff for broadband subscriptions, given Ofcom’s report of the low update of the current scheme.

Viscount Camrose: The Government continues to work closely with Ofcom on the affordability of telecoms services, including social tariffs. In December, Ofcom’s Pricing Trends report, showed that 380,000 UK households now take up a social tariff, an almost 160% increase from the previous September, but just 8.3% of the total number of eligible households. The Government accepts that more is needed to ensure that low-income households are aware of social tariffs as well as other support that is available. However, it is also important to recognise that social tariffs may not be suitable for every household on Universal Credit, and commercial bundled packages - offering TV, broadband, landline and mobile services - may represent overall better value for money. The Government and Ofcom continue to press operators to do more to raise awareness of social tariffs to their customers, with the regulator recently publishing research into the barriers to communicating offers to eligible households.

Digital Technology: Disadvantaged

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to update the Digital skills and inclusion policy published on 5 April 2017, and when they plan to publish an updated version.

Viscount Camrose: The 2022 Digital Strategy outlined work across Government to promote digital inclusion and digital skills. HMG is investing £3.8bn in skills in England by 2024-25 and recently quadrupled the scale of Skills Bootcamps. Additionally, the Digital Skills Entitlement offers free basic digital skills training to adults in England. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating cross-Government digital inclusion policy. Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue and responsibility for relevant policies, including monitoring and evaluation, sit within individual government departments.

Artificial Intelligence: Safety

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government how the AI Safety Institute, launched in November 2023, will report its findings, risk analysis and recommendations to Parliament.

Viscount Camrose: The Institute reports directly to the Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, who will provide updates to Parliament in the usual way. The AI Safety Institute will publish, and make available to Parliament, its findings where it is appropriate to do so, given consideration on proprietary, sensitive, or national security-related information.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Finance

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of GDP will be spent on defence in each financial year between now and 2030.

The Earl of Minto: As detailed in Annex A of the Government’s publication “Defending Britain: leading in a more dangerous world”, the UK’s qualifying defence spend as a percentage of GDP up to 2030-31 is below.  2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-302030-31% of GDP2.322.352.382.412.442.472.5

Wales Office

Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.

Lord Harlech: The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.The Commission was established by and reported to the Welsh Government. The Counsel General shared an update on the Welsh Government's consideration of the Commission’s final report with the Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee in March.UK Government Ministers have regular discussions with Welsh Ministers on a wide range of issues. Many such discussions focus on our joint work to support economic growth and jobs in Wales, including through delivering Freeports, Investment Zones and City and Growth Deals.

Department for Transport

Railways: Strikes

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the economy of industrial action on Network Rail.

Lord Davies of Gower: Strikes by RMT among their members at Network Rail in 2022/23 typically resulted in average industry-wide service levels of around 20%. These strikes have resulted in direct impacts on rail industry revenue and on the wider economy, for example due to people being unable to attend work. Given the move to flexible working post-pandemic, the impact of strikes on the economy is far lower, albeit the hospitality sector experiences particular impacts as set out by HospitalityUK.